This invention relates in general to switch assemblies, and, more specifically, to switch assemblies including one or more rotary control switches.
Rotary control switches are increasingly common in vehicle switch assemblies, such as switch assemblies for the climate control or audio systems of a vehicle. Rotary control knobs are generally mounted for rotation to a switch bezel. A rotary shaft of the conventional rotary switch cell extends outwardly from a circuit board through the switch bezel, such that the rotary shaft extends into a rearward side of the rotary control knob when the knob is mounted to the switch bezel. It is cumbersome to mount the rotary shaft to a circuit board and then mount the bezel to the circuit board, such that the rotary shaft extends in the precise position desired to mount the knob to the bezel and rotary shaft. Additionally, when multiple rotary control switches are to be mounted to a single bezel and/or circuit board, the difficulty in alignment of all rotary control switches and other desired switch devices relative to one another and to the respective rotary shafts, circuits, and bezels becomes even more complex. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a rotary control switch that is less cumbersome to mount within a switch assembly while achieving the desired accuracy in placement of the rotary control switch knob relative to the various components of the switch assembly.